The present invention relates to an apparatus for supplying an electronic circuit substrate to a machine for mounting an electronic component on the substrate.
An example of the construction and operation of a conventional substrate supply apparatus is described below with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.
The main body 31 of the substrate supply apparatus comprises a substrate-accommodating section 32, the width of which is adjustable depending on the width of a substrate 43; an elevating device 33 for vertically moving arms 38 for sucking the substrate 43 thereto; and a substrate-transporting device 35 having a pair of rails 39 for transporting the substrate 43. A rail-opening/closing device 36 for adjusting the distance between the rails 39 of the substrate-transporting device 35 is provided in substrate-width-regulating sections 40 and 41 for regulating the width 37 of the substrate-accommodating section 32 depending on the size of the substrate 43. The elevating device 33 for vertically moving the arms 38 is provided on the substrate-width-regulating section 40.
Substrates 43 accommodated in the substrate-accommodating section 32 are sucked by a plurality of the arms 38 which are vertically moved by the elevating device 33, thus moving upward one by one. The rail-opening/closing device 36 opens, namely, enlarges the distance between the rails 39 with the upward movement of the substrate 43 and closes, namely, reduces the distance between the rails 39 after the substrate 43 passes between the rails 39 upwardly. Thereafter, the substrate 43 is placed on the rails 39 and transported to an electronic component-mounting apparatus by the substrate-transporting device 35.
As shown in FIG. 7, each of the arms 38 is fixed to the elevating device 33 by a screw member 50. Since the elevating device 33 is located at one side between the rails 39, namely, at the substrate-width-regulating section 40, each arm 38 radially extends on the above side from the elevating device 33. The positions of the arms 38 can be changed according to the size of the substrate 43. Therefore, the comparatively long arms 38 are required to mount electronic components on the substrate 43 of a large size. It is difficult and takes long to adjust the positions of the arms 38 so as to prevent them from interfering with each other.
In addition, since the elevating device 33 is arranged at the substrate-width-regulating section 40 as shown in FIG. 7, the arms 38 which are moved upward and downward by the elevating means 33 necessarily cross one of the extensions of the rails 39 which is located at the side of the substrate-width-regulating section 40. Therefore, the above rail 39 cannot be extended to the direction shown by reference numeral 42 of FIG. 7 because such an extended rail prevents the arms 38 from smoothly moving upward and downward. Thus, the conventional substrate supply apparatus is incapable of receiving a substrate from an apparatus disposed in the direction shown by the reference numeral 42 of FIG. 7.